This assortment of figures was at the top of the Parthenon
This photo that you see here is the battle between Poseidon and Athena to see who would become the patron god of the city soon to be called Athens. So I think we know who won.
The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. The temple is archaeoastronomically aligned to the Hyades. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury. For a time, it also served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 5th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The origin of the Parthenon's name is from the Greek word which referred to the "unmarried women's apartments" in a house and in the Parthenon's case seems to have been used at first only for a particular room of the temple; it is debated which room this is and how the room acquired its name. The Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon states that this room was the western cella of the Parthenon. Jamauri D. Green holds that the parthenon was the room in which the peplos presented to Athena at the Panathenaic Festival was woven by the arrephoroi, a group of four young girls chosen to serve Athena each year. Christopher Pelling asserts that Athena Parthenos may have constituted a discrete cult of Athena, intimately connected with, but not identical to, that of Athena Polias. According to this theory, the name of Parthenon means the "temple of the virgin goddess" and refers to the cult of Athena Parthenos that was associated with the temple. The epithet parthénos, whose origin is also unclear, meant "maiden, girl", but also "virgin, unmarried woman" and was especially used for Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation, and for Athena, the goddess of strategy and tactics, handicraft, and practical reason. It has also been suggested that the name of the temple alludes to the maidens (parthenoi), whose supreme sacrifice guaranteed the safety of the city
This is the view from the top of the Acropolis, I thought that this had to be one of the best views that I had seen on my entire trip in Greece.
While I was visiting The Parthenon it was under a little bit on construction.
This is a photo of me and my friend Neal by the side of the Parthenon. This of one of my favorite sites that we visited because I really enjoyed learning about the history of this amazing building.
This is a photo of me and my school group behind the Parthenon. We ended up taking about 3 or 4 photos because my teachers camera wasn't wanting to work and we kept on losing the sun.
Here is the story as to why Poseidon and Athena fought for the city of Athens.
Once, a long, long time ago first king of Athens, King Cecrops (quite an extraordinary king himself as he was part human and part snake) set out to find a patron deity for his city state; already a prosperous and vibrant city. He called on Athena and Poseidon because both in fact desired to be the patron of this beautiful city. Their rivalry was so intense that they almost went to war and just as they were about to attack each other, Athena, with her typical, wise approach suggested that they should hold a contest for the city. With King Cecrops the judge they set up the contest and decided that whoever presented the city with the best gift would be rewarded with the city itself as the grand prize.
In the midst of a huge crowd, with King Cecrops presiding over the contest they went up to the Acropolis to present their gifts to the city. Poseidon was to go first, and he lifted his massive trident (three pointed spear) and struck the earth with it. At the point where the spear struck, a frothy spring burst out producing a sea which is now called Erekhtheis. The people loved it but as they went closer to taste the water, to their dismay the water was salty. Don’t forget that Poseidon was ruler of the sea and the water sources he controlled were inevitably salty, just like the seas he ruled.
When it was Athena's turn her act was far less dramatic. She quietly knelt and buried something in the ground which in time grew into an olive tree. This turned out to be a much more useful gift, granting the Athenians, not only the olives themselves as sustenance, but also a source of oil for their lamps and for cooking their food as well as the wood from the olive tree to build their boasts and houses. Clearly Athena's gift was deemed by far the better by Cecrops and he declared her the winner, and the patron deity of Athens. Athena became the protector of the city (polis), many people throughout the Greek world worshiped her as Athena Polias ("Athena of the city"). As patron of Athens she fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Achaeans.
Athena figurine
And if you are worried about what happened to the King, you don’t have to be concerned as the fabulous citadel at the Acropolis was named Cecropia after him. The Sea God Poseidon however was not at all pleased by all of this and in a wild fury flooded the Thriasian plain and drowning Attika under his salty sea.
The contest for the city of Athens was later carved into the stone relief on the rear pediment in the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis with both of our heroes appearing in the center of the composition with the goddess holding her olive tree and Poseidon his trident.
This story, it deserves an additional telling – this time in the Roman tradition…. Here it was the god Neptune who was to challenge the goddess Minerva to the contest over Athens. In this rendering it was Jove (Zeus) who was to judge them. The outcome however was identical, with Minerva winning the contest with her olive tree, establishing what was said to be the first town in the world and naming it in her own name, Athens. In this version not only did Neptune flood the land with a sea of salt but went on to curse the city with a water shortage which still continues today in modern day Greece.
Athena's Birth
Zeus came to lust after Metis, and chased her in his direct way. Metis tried to escape, going so far as to change her form many times. Turning into various creatures such as hawks, fish, and serpents. However, Zeus was both determined and equally proficient at changing form. He continued his pursuit until she relented.
An Oracle of Gaea then prophesied that Metis first child would be a girl but, her second child would be a boy that would overthrow Zeus as had happened to his father and grandfather. Zeus took this warning to heart. When he next saw Metis he flattered her and put her at her ease.
Then with Metis off guard Zeus suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed her. This was the end of Metis but, possibly the beginning of Zeus's wisdom.
After a time Zeus developed the mother of all headaches. He howled so loudly it could be heard throughout the earth. The other gods came to see what the problem was. Hermes realized what needed to be done and directed Hephaestus to take a wedge and split open Zeus's skull. Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armour. Due to her manor of birth she has dominion over all things of the intellect.
The Parthenon
This assortment of figures was at the top of the Parthenon
This photo that you see here is the battle between Poseidon and Athena to see who would become the patron god of the city soon to be called Athens. So I think we know who won.
The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena, which historians call the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. The temple is archaeoastronomically aligned to the Hyades. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury. For a time, it also served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 5th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The origin of the Parthenon's name is from the Greek word which referred to the "unmarried women's apartments" in a house and in the Parthenon's case seems to have been used at first only for a particular room of the temple; it is debated which room this is and how the room acquired its name. The Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon states that this room was the western cella of the Parthenon. Jamauri D. Green holds that the parthenon was the room in which the peplos presented to Athena at the Panathenaic Festival was woven by the arrephoroi, a group of four young girls chosen to serve Athena each year. Christopher Pelling asserts that Athena Parthenos may have constituted a discrete cult of Athena, intimately connected with, but not identical to, that of Athena Polias. According to this theory, the name of Parthenon means the "temple of the virgin goddess" and refers to the cult of Athena Parthenos that was associated with the temple. The epithet parthénos, whose origin is also unclear, meant "maiden, girl", but also "virgin, unmarried woman" and was especially used for Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation, and for Athena, the goddess of strategy and tactics, handicraft, and practical reason. It has also been suggested that the name of the temple alludes to the maidens (parthenoi), whose supreme sacrifice guaranteed the safety of the cityThis is the view from the top of the Acropolis, I thought that this had to be one of the best views that I had seen on my entire trip in Greece.
While I was visiting The Parthenon it was under a little bit on construction.
This is a photo of me and my friend Neal by the side of the Parthenon. This of one of my favorite sites that we visited because I really enjoyed learning about the history of this amazing building.
This is a photo of me and my school group behind the Parthenon. We ended up taking about 3 or 4 photos because my teachers camera wasn't wanting to work and we kept on losing the sun.
Here is the story as to why Poseidon and Athena fought for the city of Athens.
Once, a long, long time ago first king of Athens, King Cecrops (quite an extraordinary king himself as he was part human and part snake) set out to find a patron deity for his city state; already a prosperous and vibrant city. He called on Athena and Poseidon because both in fact desired to be the patron of this beautiful city. Their rivalry was so intense that they almost went to war and just as they were about to attack each other, Athena, with her typical, wise approach suggested that they should hold a contest for the city. With King Cecrops the judge they set up the contest and decided that whoever presented the city with the best gift would be rewarded with the city itself as the grand prize.
In the midst of a huge crowd, with King Cecrops presiding over the contest they went up to the Acropolis to present their gifts to the city. Poseidon was to go first, and he lifted his massive trident (three pointed spear) and struck the earth with it. At the point where the spear struck, a frothy spring burst out producing a sea which is now called Erekhtheis. The people loved it but as they went closer to taste the water, to their dismay the water was salty. Don’t forget that Poseidon was ruler of the sea and the water sources he controlled were inevitably salty, just like the seas he ruled.
When it was Athena's turn her act was far less dramatic. She quietly knelt and buried something in the ground which in time grew into an olive tree. This turned out to be a much more useful gift, granting the Athenians, not only the olives themselves as sustenance, but also a source of oil for their lamps and for cooking their food as well as the wood from the olive tree to build their boasts and houses. Clearly Athena's gift was deemed by far the better by Cecrops and he declared her the winner, and the patron deity of Athens. Athena became the protector of the city (polis), many people throughout the Greek world worshiped her as Athena Polias ("Athena of the city"). As patron of Athens she fought in the Trojan War on the side of the Achaeans.
And if you are worried about what happened to the King, you don’t have to be concerned as the fabulous citadel at the Acropolis was named Cecropia after him. The Sea God Poseidon however was not at all pleased by all of this and in a wild fury flooded the Thriasian plain and drowning Attika under his salty sea.
The contest for the city of Athens was later carved into the stone relief on the rear pediment in the Temple of Athena on the Acropolis with both of our heroes appearing in the center of the composition with the goddess holding her olive tree and Poseidon his trident.
This story, it deserves an additional telling – this time in the Roman tradition…. Here it was the god Neptune who was to challenge the goddess Minerva to the contest over Athens. In this rendering it was Jove (Zeus) who was to judge them. The outcome however was identical, with Minerva winning the contest with her olive tree, establishing what was said to be the first town in the world and naming it in her own name, Athens. In this version not only did Neptune flood the land with a sea of salt but went on to curse the city with a water shortage which still continues today in modern day Greece.
Athena's Birth
Zeus came to lust after Metis, and chased her in his direct way. Metis tried to escape, going so far as to change her form many times. Turning into various creatures such as hawks, fish, and serpents. However, Zeus was both determined and equally proficient at changing form. He continued his pursuit until she relented.
An Oracle of Gaea then prophesied that Metis first child would be a girl but, her second child would be a boy that would overthrow Zeus as had happened to his father and grandfather. Zeus took this warning to heart. When he next saw Metis he flattered her and put her at her ease.
Then with Metis off guard Zeus suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed her. This was the end of Metis but, possibly the beginning of Zeus's wisdom.
After a time Zeus developed the mother of all headaches. He howled so loudly it could be heard throughout the earth. The other gods came to see what the problem was. Hermes realized what needed to be done and directed Hephaestus to take a wedge and split open Zeus's skull. Out of the skull sprang Athena, full grown and in a full set of armour. Due to her manor of birth she has dominion over all things of the intellect.